


Bloodbag

by FestiveFerret



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - Vampire, Angst with a Happy Ending, Blood Drinking, Bloodplay, Concubines, Domestic, Dubious Consent, Falling In Love, Human Pets, Hurt/Comfort, In a Vampires Having Sex Way, M/M, Mutual Pining, Pet Human Steve, Pre-Serum Steve Rogers, Vampire Royalty, Vampire Tony, Vampires
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-30
Updated: 2020-07-30
Packaged: 2021-03-06 01:06:57
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,785
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25604788
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FestiveFerret/pseuds/FestiveFerret
Summary: Vamps only bought bloodbags for three reasons: a lifelong source of food, a quick snack, or to breed more bloodbags. Steve had no appeal as a lifer - they were usually coveted concubines, beautiful and well cared for. Steve had no appeal as breeding stock - even if he weren't likely impotent, no one wanted to risk ending up with more scrawny, useless morsels.So he was a snack.
Relationships: Steve Rogers/Tony Stark
Comments: 57
Kudos: 758
Collections: Team Angst





	Bloodbag

**Author's Note:**

> WARNING: I wasn't really sure how to tag this, but in this world, humans are only bred to be pets, concubines, and bloodbags for vampires. So there's all the inherent consent issues with one character owning the other. If that squicks you out, this won't be your thing. This is very self-indulgent kinky nonsense. 
> 
> Thanks to the PotS Discord Server who inspired the idea and sorry to sabrecmc who didn't get anything she wanted in this fic ;)
> 
> Thanks to ashes0909 for beta! <3

"...That one?" Rhodey's head tilted to the side as he studied Tony's purchase. "Really? Why?"

Tony squinted down at his auction schedule then rolled his gaze back up the bloodbag that now belonged to him. The naked human was crunched up at the back of his pen which made him look even smaller. His listing didn't say much: _Human. 94 pounds. Type O. A5._

The A5 was his attitude ranking. _God,_ why had Tony bought him again? "I have no idea," he said to Rhodey. "I literally never have any idea what I'm doing, ever. You know this about me."

"You finally show up to one of these things and you buy… that. That has got to be the least appetizing bloodbag I've ever seen in my life."

Tony sighed. "Well, it's mine now."

"Congratulations," Rhodey said flatly. "I have to run, bud, but dinner next week?"

"Definitely." Tony waved Rhodey off, eyes still fixed on the human cowering in the corner. 

"Sir?" One of the attendants was beside him, holding out a hand politely.

"Oh, right. Sorry." Tony handed over his bidding slip then paused. "Uh. Wait. I said delivery but I think I'll just take him with me now."

"Are you sure, sir? He's A5."

"I'm sure."

"Yes, sir." The man took his slip and leaned it on his clipboard to scribble something over the delivery information. He waved another attendant over and handed off the slip. Tony watched as the bloodbag's pen was opened and the attendant grabbed his leash. He dragged him over to Tony and handed him off. 

"Congrats," he muttered, before moving on to the next bid winner.

Tony wrapped the end of the leash around his fist and looked into the human's eyes. They were stormy blue, roiling with barely contained rage. There was the A5. Tony wondered how it would come out. Right now, he was merely standing obediently at Tony's side, but his hands were cuffed together and the collar around his neck - a thin choke chain to show he was still unmarked - was electrified; he had the look of someone who knew that through experience.

He didn't say anything, just glowered at Tony.

"Come on." Tony led him away from the rows of pens and down the hall. By the door, another vamp - Family Stone, Tony thought - let his eyes drop to the bloodbag's neck and Tony bared his fangs, not outright growling, but lip curled up enough to let the vamp know he wasn't fucking around. All eyes in the room snapped away.

Tony's car was waiting in priority idle, and he opened the door and tapped the human's back once to signal he should slide into the back seat. He seemed almost startled, but compiled, shifting down the bench seat to press himself up against the far door. Tony followed him in after.

"Home," Tony said, then he pushed the button to raise the divider, locking the two of them alone in the back seat.

All bravado melted off the human's face, replaced with abject terror. Tony watched him for a while, trying to figure out what was so appealing about him, why his hand had twitched up to bid without his permission, why - even now - he wasn't disappointed that he'd won.

"You could get it over with," the human said, voice breaking a little. But he sat up straight, chin jutted out, and twisted his shaking hands together until they stilled. Tony could hear his heart pounding. 

"Get what over with?" Tony asked.

The human straightened up further, trying to puff out his scrawny chest. "I know vamps don't buy humans like me as lifers. So if you're going to kill me, I'd rather you just get it over with."

"You think I bought you to drain you?"

"Of course."

"I didn't." Tony turned to look out the window, watching the city lights flash by in the dark. 

"Why did you buy me then?"

 _You tell me,_ Tony didn't say. 

**

When Tony fell silent, turned to the window, Steve took the hint and slumped down in his own seat, eyes fixed on the back of the barrier in front of him. Of everything he'd been through, being auctioned off was, without question, one of the most terrifying experiences of his life. 

They'd dragged him on stage, shoved him up to the front, naked and chained, and he'd watched the dark, hungry eyes of a sea of vampires in the audience rake over him. 

And he wasn't stupid. He knew what they were bidding on.

Vamps only bought bloodbags for three reasons: a lifelong source of food, a quick snack, or to breed more bloodbags. Steve had no appeal as a lifer - they were usually coveted concubines, beautiful and well cared for. Steve had no appeal as breeding stock - even if he weren't likely impotent, no one wanted to risk ending up with more scrawny, useless morsels.

So he was a snack. It was hard to believe anyone would pay what Stark had just paid for an experience that was unlikely to last more than ten minutes, but Steve knew who the vamp on the other end of the bench seat was: Tony Stark. Most of the vampire royalty at the auction had been from out of town, but this was Stark's turf. His family had been ruling New York for generations, and when Howard Stark had died, that legacy was passed on to his son. Rumour had it, Tony was a shitty ruler, but it wasn't like Steve had any clue what that meant. He'd been born and raised in a bloodhouse. His mother had died giving birth to him and his only friend had gone to auction two years ago and he'd never heard from him again. He thought he'd never go to auction, but they must have been running low on stock.

He was stunned that anyone had bought him at all. Especially someone like Stark, who could no doubt have anyone. Maybe he wasn't eating Steve because he was a gift for someone else. The thought soured his stomach again. He'd figured this would all be over with quickly, but the wait was worse than anything else.

"Hungry?"

"What?" Steve pulled himself out of the tornado of his thoughts to find Stark looking at him.

"Are you hungry?"

"No." Steve frowned. "Are _you?"_

Stark snorted out a laugh, a quick smile flashing a terrifying glimpse of two deadly fangs. "Not right now…" Stark fiddled with the edge of his phone. "How'd you end up A5?"

Steve winced at the memory. That hadn't ended well for him. "I bit someone."

Stark laughed again, louder this time. He turned intense gold eyes on Steve. "You going to bite me?" His eyebrow quirked up.

"I… uh. I haven't decided yet."

"Let me know when you do."

They pulled up alongside an enormous skyscraper, a vast tower of metal and glass that Steve couldn't see to the top of in the dark. A moment later, the driver turned through a large door that immediately started rolling closed again after them. The car came to a stop in front of a pair of sleek, silver elevator doors, and a moment later, Stark's door was pulled open by the driver. 

Stark stepped out, then beckoned Steve out after him, thankfully not pulling on the leash. Steve had learned the hard way that if the choke chain tightened past a certain point, he got a nasty shock. He followed Stark into the elevator, the chauffeur dismissed with a careless wave from his master, and gripped the metal bar with both hands as it started to rise. 

He'd never been in an elevator before. He knew about them; riding one was different. It felt like his stomach had been left down in the garage while the rest of him sailed upwards. Stark was still, silent, and expressionless next to him, and Steve snuck peeks at him from under his eyelashes, trying to figure something out about this vampire prince who had chosen him above all else today.

But when the doors slid open, Steve forgot entirely about the creature that now owned him, utterly consumed by the sight in front of him. They were at the very top of the tower - they had to be - and the city sprawled beneath them, blinking and twinkling with lights. The apartment was open-plan, completely surrounded by floor-to-ceiling glass on all sides. Steve stumbled a bit as he stepped out of the elevator. He felt like he was standing on top of an upright q-tip and it wasn't very stable. How did a building this tall even stay up?

He finished a circle then turned back, realizing Stark was still standing by the elevators and the leash around Steve's neck was hanging limply, abandoned. He supposed there was no need now to give the impression of voluntary obedience; if he did anything Stark didn't like, he'd be dead in a heartbeat. There had never been any point in fighting.

Stark pointed to the stairs that wound up the centre of the apartment. "Your space is up there."

"Okay."

"Do you have a name?" Stark asked.

Steve blinked. What did it matter? "Steve."

"Okay. You're getting registered tomorrow."

At that, Steve snapped his gaze from the stairs back to Stark's blank, grey eyes. "Registered…? Do you really intend to keep me?"

Stark shrugged. "Or what?"

"Eat me?"

Stark's eyes raked up and down Steve's body. "Hardly seems worth it," he drawled.

Despite the fact that being eaten wasn't on Steve's list of favourite activities, he couldn't help but be affronted. He crossed his arms over his chest with a pout. Sure, he was small, but it was rude to point it out. 

Stark grinned at that, flashing teeth again, then he pushed away from the elevators and made for the wet bar. 

A new thought occurred to Steve and suddenly everything made sense. Stark probably wanted him as houseslave for his harem. A vamp of his stature would have at least six lifers to feed him, in every way, and sometimes they took on bloodbags unsuitable for feeding to wait on those treasured concubines. Being small and relatively useless, Steve wasn't sure how good he'd be at fetching and carrying and tending to wounds and helping them bathe, but it was certainly better than being a snack. "Should I report to your first?" he asked.

Stark stilled. "Excuse me?"

"Your first. Will they tell me what I'm supposed to do?"

Stark's mouth opened then closed again. "You're my first."

"Excuse me?"

"I don't have any other pets. You're my first and my… first. Literally and figuratively. You're my only. I know that means there's no one to wait on you, but you seem… adaptable. I'm sure you'll manage."

"I'm your first _ever_ bloodbag?"

Stark shrugged. "Yup." He popped the _p._ "I'm not much of a…" He trailed off.

Steve followed him, leaving a completely pointless safe distance between them. "So… what am I supposed to do?"

Stark turned back to stare at him, eyes flicking up and down. "I don't know," he said flatly. "I haven't thought that far ahead."

**

Tony finally brought Steve up to his rooms himself and deposited him there, closing the door firmly in a way that he hoped read as _leave me alone, I'm trying to think._

He hadn't expected so many words to come out of such a small creature. He also had no fucking idea what he was doing. 

The world expected him to have a whole harem of bloodbags, following him around and offering themselves up at his will. He'd never understood how the others did it. How they shared their space like that, how they shouldered the responsibility. He'd honestly gone to the auction expecting to come home empty handed, but there was something about this one…

Steve. His name was Steve. 

There was something about Steve.

So Tony hadn't been thinking ahead, he'd just been thinking _mine,_ and now the human belonged to him and he had to either eat it or take care of it. He wasn't set up to have a nest here. There was obviously room in the penthouse, but Steve was right to be shocked that he was alone. Tony hadn't changed yet when his parents died, so he'd dispersed their harem among their friends. Then, when he did change and finally took his crown, he refused any offerings. It was part of why he wasn't a very popular prince. 

And now he'd brought home a mouse instead of a gazelle. Pepper was going to be thrilled; it'd do wonders for his PR. 

"What the fuck is wrong with you, Stark?" he asked the living room, but no one answered. Well, he wasn't going to eat him, that was for sure, which meant he needed to take care of him. "J, order, like… human food." What did humans even eat these days? Was it the same as shifter food?

"Yes, sir."

Apparently the internet knew, cause J seemed to know, so Tony mentally checked that off as done. He had no idea what else a human might need. It'd been so long since he needed anything but darkness and blood. Tony dug his phone out and shot a text off to Bruce.

_ >>> What do humans need? Is it the same as shifters? _

It wasn't long before Bruce wrote back.

_ <<< Do you have a human??? _

_ >>> Theoretically… _

_ <<< Did you theoretically buy a human at the auction??? _

_> >> Uh_   
_> >> Yeah._   
_> >> What do they need?_

_ <<< Food. _

_ >>> Check. _

_ <<< Heat. _

"Hey, J, what's the temperature in here?"

"It's currently sixty-seven degrees, sir."

"Bring it up to seventy-two."

"Yes, sir."

_ >>> Check. _

_ <<< I think that's pretty much it. You could ask them? _

_ >>> Right. Yeah. Of course. I'll ask. Thanks Bruce. _

Tony set his phone aside. He stared at the staircase like he expected Steve to materialize at the top even though he'd made it pretty clear he'd not expected to see the human again until the next morning. 

Work. That's what he needed to do. Keep busy. Get work done.

Tony took one last glance at the stairs. He could still smell the sweet perfume of human blood in the air.

**

In the morning, Steve washed carefully then dressed in one of the gauzy tunics he found in the closet of the harem suite. They were all fifteen years out of fashion, but it was better than being naked. He brushed his hair and swapped his simple jewelry from the bloodhouse with some of the nicer things in drawers in the closet. A blood red jewel hung from a gold bar that curved through his belly button, gold thread wound through his hair, and a ring of blue stars wrapped around one finger. If he was Stark's first, he had to look the part. 

His stomach was churning with too much acid to eat anything, even though he knew he'd need his strength for what was to come. He'd been trained, but bloodbags were only appealing at the high end if they were unmarked, so it was all theoretical training. Now that he was faced with the real thing, it didn't feel like anything could prepare him for it.

He took one more deep breath then left his room. The door to Tony's room at the end of the hall was open and the bed was clearly empty. That was a weird relief - he'd heard that many vamps liked to wake up to two different kinds of sucking at once, and Steve was pretty confident he'd be shit at both. 

The living room and kitchen were empty too. 

A doorway he hadn't noticed before was set down a few stairs, off the side of the living room. Steve walked up to it, leaning one hand against the wood to try and peer through the window beside it, but his touch made the door spring open and he half-stumbled through the doorway. 

"Oh shit," he breathed, snapping his mouth shut again when he realized he wasn't alone. 

Stark stared at him from his desk. 

"Um." Steve started again. "Can I feed you, your majesty?" he tried.

Stark blinked once then burst into laughter. A great start. Steve couldn't help his scowl.

"For the love of god, please don't call me that," Stark said, still laughing. "Tony. Tony is good."

"Okay…" Steve huffed then tried again. "Can I feed you, _Tony?"_ It sounded petulant even to his ears. God, he was so bad at this.

Tony crooked a finger in his direction and Steve stepped closer. Tony's eyes raked over him, taking in all the decorations. "Huh. You clean up nice."

"Thanks."

He grabbed the hem of the tunic and twisted it through his fingers. "I didn't even know I had this."

"I'm not surprised…" Steve stopped himself before his eyes rolled, but Tony smiled.

"Buy new stuff. Shiny stuff..."

"Uh. Okay."

Tony startled up as if coming out of a daze. He dropped the hem of the tunic. "You don't have to dress up around here, though. I'm covered in grease more often than not, anyway. Don't stand on ceremony for me."

Steve grit his teeth. "You're doing an awful lot of telling me what _not_ to do. Is there anything you want me _to do?"_

Tony narrowed his eyes, gaze locked with Steve's, then he shook his head with a laugh. "Okay, that's fair. I'll be honest I have no idea. I don't actually need a bloodbag. I have no idea why I bought you."

Steve's frowned, confused. He thought all vampires needed to feed, but maybe some didn't? Or Tony had a taste for shifter blood he got from a friend instead? It was unusual, but not wholly unbelievable. "You have no idea why you bought me," he echoed.

Tony shook his head. "No clue."

"Okay, well… um." Steve fiddled with the ring. It still felt heavy and new on his finger. "You want me to buy shiny things?"

Tony grinned. "Yeah."

Some things about Tony were starting to become clear and Steve took a gamble. Not all vamps were looking to feed the kind of hunger he'd assumed he was for. He'd been trained for the other too. He shifted a little closer. "And maybe you want me to be around? Company…?"

Tony ran his bottom lip along the underside of one fang. "I guess." 

"You've been here on your own for a long time, huh?"

"Yeah."

Now that he was up close, Tony's sharp edges softened, his fangs looking less like a threat and more like a promise. Steve's body shuddered with something new he'd never felt before. A heat that started deep down behind his belly button and bloomed up to tingles at his throat. "Well. Just tell me if you need me, yeah?"

Tony nodded. "Yeah, okay." He sat back in his chair and took a breath that was noticeably deep, considering it was entirely unneeded. 

"Okay." Steve reached out and let his fingers brush over Tony's shoulder, then he stepped away. "I'll go buy shiny things… leave you to your work."

"Okay." 

Steve could feel Tony's eyes on him all the way out of the workshop. 

**

Tony was hiding. There was really no other way to classify what he was doing. 

It was getting harder and harder keeping both his teeth and his hands to himself around Steve. Steve who smelled delicious, Steve who looked even more stunning in the sweatpants and t-shirts he'd taken to wearing when Tony had told him not to bother dressing up. Steve who smiled and laughed and told Tony off in equal measure, making his dead heart beat every single time. 

So Tony had taken to locking himself two floors down in the backup lab and telling Steve he was working, downing bag after bag of pigs' blood trying to sate a thirst he knew only Steve could satisfy. 

He also couldn't quite explain, even to himself, why he wasn't enacting his ownership rights and using his bloodbag for its intended purpose. He had every right to bite Steve, use him, use him up, but he resolutely kept his hands to himself. If he touched Steve, he wasn't sure he'd ever be able to stop. And the thought of the tower without Steve in it wasn't worth contemplating.

Tony tossed his work tablet aside and picked up his phone. It rang twelve times, but Rhodey finally picked up. "Tony?"

"I think I screwed up."

"What'd you do this time?"

"You know Steve?"

"Your pet bloodbag that's now running your entire life, home, and occupying your every thought, all hours of the day? That Steve?"

"Yeah that's the one."

"What'd you do now?"

"I -" Tony waved his hand in the air even thought Rhodey couldn't see it. "I let him be all that!"

"Bit late to be realizing now that it was a bad idea buying that little hors d'oeuvre. You're already fucked."

Tony groaned, leaning back in his chair. "What do I do?"

"I don't know, eat him?"

Tony's entire body throbbed at the thought. "I can't," he choked out.

"Look, you're not the first vamp to fall in love with a concubine. Either fuck him or eat him or both, but obsessing about it is only going to make it worse."

"That doesn't -"

JARVIS cut in, breaking off Tony's unformed thought. "Delivery for you, sir. It requires a signature."

"Shit. Rhodey, I have to go. Something - something's come up."

"Alright. Stop stressing about it Tony. You're fine. Dress him up in jewels and parade him around the next council meeting covered in bite marks and you'll feel more in control of things."

"Okay, thanks, sugarpea."

"Bye, Tony."

Tony was already halfway across the lab when he hung up. He took the elevator to the delivery door where a haggard-looking mailroom employee was arguing with a delivery man. The two shifters growled at each other, hackles going up, and Tony stepped between them, cutting off the discussion effectively. 

"It's okay, Lynda." His employee took two steps back with a huff. "I'll sign for it." He took the box and signed the sheet with a flourish. "Thank you." The delivery man slipped out, shooting one last glare at Lynda. 

When Tony was sure everything was calm again, he went back up to the penthouse and snuck past where Steve was dancing around the living room with his headphones on, singing into the TV remote. Safely hidden in his room, he snapped the tape on the box. Inside was another box, this one sleek velvet with a metal hinge. And inside that one…

Tony had never had occasion to order a collar before, and okay, perhaps he'd gone a little overboard, but it seemed like the only safe outlet for his intense possessiveness right now. The thought of anyone else's eyes on Steve's neck brought a growl to his lips that he had to let loose into the empty room - too much to hold inside himself. 

He needed to see Steve in it, if only to make sure it fit.

Right.

Sure.

He snapped the case closed again then made his way back to the living room. He dropped silently to the couch and watched Steve shake his way through another chorus before he caught sight of Tony and yelped, throwing the remote across the room to break a leaf off of one of the potted plants in the corner.

"Holy _shit,_ Tony." Steve sat down hard on the coffee table, gripping his chest.

Tony could hear the blood pumping hot and heavy through his veins, flushing up under his skin. His heart pounded, close enough that Tony could have him on the ground under him between one beat and another. Saliva flooded his mouth and he licked at his teeth, swallowing heavily. "I have something for you," he said, instead of sinking his fangs into Steve's butter-soft skin.

"A _heart attack?"_ Steve asked with a glare. "Not all of us are dead, Jesus." He flopped backwards on the coffee table, his t-shirt riding up to reveal his smooth, narrow waist. There was a red jewel nestled in his belly button. Tony wanted to suck it out. 

Tony popped the latch on the case and turned it around so Steve could see it. His mouth fell open and he sat up slowly. 

"Oh my god…" One of Steve's fingers poked out and stroked along the bottom edge of the collar. "I'm… I'm supposed to wear this?"

"Can't have you showing your neck in public," Tony murmured. "What would that say about me?"

Steve quirked up an eyebrow that clearly said _that you haven't bit me yet,_ but Tony ignored it. He lifted the collar from its case and held it out so the gold chains cascaded over his hands. Steve stepped forward, tugging his shirt over his head and dropping it on the floor at Tony's gesture. 

Tony found the clasp at the back and shook it out until it hung freely from his hands. Steve bent forward a little and Tony drew it up and around his neck and clasped it. Delicate gold chains were wound together in a complex design, twisting and dancing all the way from just under Steve's chin to the tops of his shoulders. In the centre of each twist was a ruby, and strung along the chains were glittering diamonds. 

The weight made Steve stand up taller, neck long and tall, chin up. Tony stood up to stand chest to chest with him and breathed in. The entire room was drenched in Steve, and he sucked in it like he could hoard it inside his lungs and save it for later. Starting at one shoulder and moving his way across, Tony fiddled and twisted and untangled, smoothing out the chains until they lay flat, covering Steve's skin in a spider web of finery. 

"Beautiful…"

Steve's breath caught, eyes flicking up to meet Tony's. "Thank you."

"I have a key, but -" Tony held out his hand, flat, palm up, and Steve, confusion twisting his brow, landed his hand on top. Tony brought Steve's hand - god, so warm - up to the back of his neck and guided his fingertip to the tiny depression that would release the latch. "It only unlocks for you. Well, you and me. The chains are wound with vibranium. It's not just for show. Nothing's getting through that. It'll keep you safe."

Steve's eyes had gone very, very wide. "I -"

"I'm…" Tony's fingers itched to reach out and push Steve's sweatpants over his hips and down to the floor so he'd be standing in nothing else but the armour Tony had built for him. "You really do look beautiful."

"Thank you." 

Tony cleared his throat and forced himself to take a step back. He handed Steve the case. "Keep it somewhere safe. I'll tell you if we're going somewhere where you'll need it."

Steve nodded. One hand came up and spread over his chest, just at the base of his throat. His pale skin accentuated the places where the tiny gaps between the chains flashed the barest view of his collarbone, the steady thud of his heartbeat throbbing between his fingers. 

**

Steve followed the pounding of a bassline down the two steps to the workshop. As soon as he stepped through the doors, the music cut off, but Tony didn't look up from his computer, side to Steve. He had a plastic bag hanging from his mouth, both hands on his keyboard as he sucked idly.

"Is that pigs' blood?" Steve said, much louder than intended.

Tony spun around to face him, the bag falling from his lips to land in his mouth. "Yesh?" Tony said around his dripping fangs.

For some reason he didn't want to explore too closely, Steve was incensed. "What on earth was the point of buying a bloodbag if you don't even drink human blood? Isn't that stuff disgusting?"

Tony opened his mouth, licked his lips, closed it again. His head tilted to the side. "Are you mad?" There was an uncertain quaver to his voice like he wasn't prepared to handle either answer. 

"No?" Steve clutched his mug of tea to his chest like a shield. "No. It's - whatever. You can eat whatever you want."

"You want me to drink from you?"

"You bought me. You can do whatever you want with me," Steve huffed.

Tony stood up and tossed the bag aside. He stalked across the room to stand in front of Steve. "You're so small. Aren't you scared?"

Steve frowned. "Fuck off. I've lost plenty of blood over the years, getting into fights, nose bleeds, being clumsy as fuck. I think I can handle it."

Tony reached out with a single finger and ran it down the edge of Steve's neck. Everything screeched to a halt and Steve felt his eyes going wider and wider as the finger settled on his collarbone. The hunger in Tony's eyes was impossible to deny. Steve opened his mouth to speak but nothing would come out. Tony drew his finger back and stuck it between his lips. He sucked. "I don't think you have enough blood in you to feed a mosquito."

Steve's mouth fell open, all the tension wiped away in the face of his indignation. "Hey!"

Tony grinned then shook his head. "Stop begging for almost certain death, Lunchables."

"I'm not _begging_ for anything, Count Chocula. I'm just saying. It's weird to take a lifer if you're not going to - you know - use them for… anything. I mean. What do you want me to do?" Steve stammered around the question, realizing he'd basically just said _if you don't want to feed from me and don't want to fuck me, what's the point of me?_ Which was a really stupid question to ask a benefactor as generous as Tony. Things were good. He was safe. Why did he have to push?

A cloud wafted over Tony's face then he shook his head again. He ran one knuckle along the sharp ridge of Steve's cheekbone then turned away. "I'm never going to hurt you," he promised solemnly. "Don't ask me to."

Steve's heart thudded heavily against his lungs, making it hard to breath. "Okay. I'm sorry."

Tony stepped back, breaking the tense spell between them, and collapsed in his chair. "What are you reading, now?"

Steve opted not to push, not this time. He curled up on the edge of the couch. "Fables."

"Tell me about it."

**

Hiding stopped working when Steve started showing up in Tony's workshop every day. Steve worked his way systematically through Tony's bookshelves, telling Tony whenever he came across an interesting fact. 

At first, Steve had tried to… offer assistance. But Tony gently rebuffed him, and it didn't take long for Steve to get the hint. It didn't stop Steve being a tantalizing torture merely by being present, though. His scent permeated the very air in the workshop after only a few days, and Tony gulped it in like a drowning man swallowing mouthful after mouthful of saltwater.

Tony looked up from his work to watch Steve. Steve was on the couch, sitting on the cushion, but upside down with his legs hooked over the back and his head hanging towards the floor. He was holding a book in the air, scowling at it like it'd insulted his mother. 

"Do you need anything?" Tony asked impulsively.

Steve tipped his head back, dropping the book to his chest, and looked at Tony upside down. It had the unintended - Tony had to assume - side effect of stretching Steve's neck out and baring it to the room. It would be so easy to cross the floor, sink to his knees, and latch on. Steve would bleed so prettily…

"Do I what?"

"What?" Tony shook himself, pulling his eyes away.

"You asked me something."

"Did I?"

Steve swiveled around, sitting cross-legged. He quirked an eyebrow at Tony. "Aren't vampires supposed to have good memories?"

"Aren't humans supposed to be quiet and demure?" Tony shot back. 

Steve sighed. "Probably."

That made Tony laugh. "Don't worry," he said softly, "I never went in for demure."

Steve chewed his bottom lip, and Tony longed to suck it between his own teeth instead. "So… why did you buy me?"

Tony stared at him for a long time, wondering just how many pieces of himself it was safe for this tiny human to hold. "I was lonely," Tony finally confessed.

Steve nodded to himself as if it confirmed something he'd long believed. "You don't have to be lonely anymore."

"Okay," Tony said. "Thank you." He barely stopped himself from curving up the end of the sentence like a question. Everything felt like it finished with a question mark these days.

**

Steve looked up from his book, watching Tony bent over his work. "Hey, Tony?" he asked, before he could chicken out.

"Mhm?" Tony picked up a soldering iron.

"If I ask you a potentially offensive question do you promise not to bite me?"

"No."

Steve pondered that. "I'm gonna ask anyway."

"I would expect nothing less from you." Tony set the soldering iron down.

"How do vampires have babies?"

Tony blinked at him for a moment then sighed, rocking back in his chair. He steepled his fingers and glared up at the ceiling for a moment then stood. "Why do you want to know?" He crossed over to the fridge and tugged out a bag which he tore open with his teeth. He collapsed down on the couch next to Steve, sucking obnoxiously on the corner of the bag. 

Steve turned and tucked his toes under Tony's rock-solid thigh. "Well… you're royalty because you're _of pure line_ or whatever they call it, which means you have vampire parents, doesn't it? But I read in Bloodlines that vampires' reproductive systems don't work so -"

Tony leveled a glare at Steve. "Our _systems_ work just fine, Lunchables."

Steve rolled his eyes. "You know what I mean. I'm sure your supernatural dick is a sight to behold, but the book says vamps' biological systems shut down, so how do you make babies?"

"I should never have let you have books." Tony tipped up the cover of Steve's book with on knuckle to read the title. "Can't you learn this from a PBS special or something?"

Steve quirked an eyebrow.

"Okay fine. It's not that exciting but…" Tony's eyes flicked away, away from Steve and away from the present. Off somewhere Steve couldn't follow. "Vampire systems don't shut down, they're just very, very slow. So two vamps together can't make a baby - slow swimmers plus slow egg is just too much stacked against them - but a vampire man and a human woman can. Turns out, they make a human, weirdly enough. The vampirism doesn't really affect the sperm. So vamps would knock up their concubines.

"But then… well it turns out if the woman is turned while she's pregnant, the vampire venom infects the child. The woman turns - sometimes she survives, sometimes she doesn't. I understand the birthing process is very painful and risky. But the child is born seemingly human, but infected. They're mostly human, starting out, maybe a little stronger, a little faster, but as their bodies get older and the regeneration of their cells gets slower, the venom starts to take hold.

"Most pureline vamps stop getting older around twenty-five or twenty-six. And that's when the bloodlust sets in. Shifter food starts to taste bland and uninteresting. And humans start to smell…" Tony turned hungry eyes on Steve "... incredible."

Steve tilted his head to one side, baring his neck. "You promised you wouldn't bite me if I asked."

"I said nothing of the sort." Tony flicked Steve's ankle and went back to sucking at the bag of blood. "Does that answer your question?"

"I guess. Asks about forty new ones though. Does that mean… you remember what it's like to be human?"

"I was never human. But if you're asking if I remember the sun, yes. I do. Why do you think I live in a glass tower? I remember the sun and the taste of meat and what it felt like to be warm. I remember a heartbeat. But I was never human."

Steve reached out, only hesitating for a moment, then curled his fingers around Tony's wrist. His skin was smooth and cool, but the tension in his tendons tensed then relaxed under Steve's touch, adding life to the unforgiving marble. "I'm sorry."

Tony shot him a glance then looked away again, perhaps realizing how much his eyes gave away. "Not like you had a choice upbringing either."

"We're both here now, though."

Tony stared down at the empty blood bag for a long time, then his lips curled up into a smile. He laughed softly. "Yeah… I guess we are."

**

Tony tossed his wrench aside and stretched up tall. He sniffed the air. It didn't smell right. Steve hadn't been down in the workshop all night. Tony stood and stalked across to his desk. He checked his phone but there were no messages. Somehow, it felt like giving in to go look for Steve, but the desire to see his human won out over any need to be coy, so he shutdown the workshop and climbed the few steps up to the living room.

Tony wandered through all the spaces in the apartment, but Steve wasn't on a couch by the TV, in the kitchen leaning over a pot, or curled up in bed with a book. Tony was just about to ask JARVIS if Steve had gone out without telling him, when he caught sight of an unusual bundle on the living room balcony. 

Most of the time, Tony forgot he had balconies. He could only use them at night, and while the view was unparalleled, the wind after dark was usually a bit much. They'd just sort of fallen out of use. But when he walked up and leaned against the doorframe, he could see that someone else was making quite good use of them after all.

Steve was stretched out on a chaise - a soft cushion over a wicker frame. There was an empty glass next to it, the sides sweating with condensation and two lemon slices at the bottom in a puddle that was probably once an ice cube. Steve's eyes were closed, mouth softly open, and his book had slid from his hand to his thigh. 

He glowed in the sunlight, like the light was coming from inside him and bursting out. A tank top and sinfully short shorts seemed to show off more skin than he had when he was naked and Tony's perfect eyesight took in every inch that was visible. A bead of sweat slid down behind his ear to his collarbone.

"Steve," Tony called softly. His skin was pink enough that he wondered how long he'd been sleeping. "Steve."

Steve startled awake, looking around wildly for a moment until his eyes caught on Tony. He relaxed, smiled. "Hey." His voice was soft and pillowy, tongue still heavy with sleep.

"You shouldn't sleep in the sun. You'll lobster."

Steve sat up and rubbed his eyes. "Maybe then you'll finally eat me," he quipped back.

Hunger stirred deep in Tony's gut at the thought.

Steve stood, grabbing his book in one hand and the glass in the other. He padded across the balcony in bare feet, passing right by Tony. But Tony caught him with one hand cupping his cheek and eased him back to stand in front of him. He bent and pressed his nose to Steve's neck, just behind his ear.

Steve's breath sucked in then stopped, his heart pounding like a surge of hooves rushing for the finish line of a derby. Tony breathed in, slow, deep, letting the scent roll through him. 

"You smell like sunlight," he murmured, and Steve swallowed heavily, throat bobbing against his palm.

"You smell like motor oil," Steve finally managed to husk back. 

Tony grinned, the Steve-scented air on his teeth making saliva pool in his mouth. He drew in one more breath then shifted back, releasing Steve.

Steve took a shaky step back, lip caught between his own teeth like he was as hungry as Tony was. "Um," he said. "Movie tonight?"

Tony nodded. "Sure. I'll go shower off the motor oil, shall I?"

Steve swallowed again, shifting where he stood. "I dunno… smell's kinda growing on me." He coughed once then spun on his heel and set off for his rooms. 

Tony opened his mouth again and panted in every ounce of Steve that permeated the room. His sweat, his arousal, his fear, his need - Tony revelled in each taste that coated his tongue. He wasn't going to be able to hold back much longer. Something of his had to slide into that waiting heat and he wasn't always sure it was going to be his teeth that won out. 

**

Steve shuffled along at Tony's side. All around him, vampire royalty from across the country milled about, clinking tall glasses of blood together and chattering endlessly about their families. It was horrifically boring, but Tony's arm stayed curled around Steve's waist the whole time and that made it worth it. 

Steve sunk into his side, letting the vampire take his weight. No one would look directly at him, tipping their eyes to the floor instead. It was heady and powerful, knowing that even though any one of these vamps could kill him in a heartbeat, Tony's mere presence kept him safer than anything else could. 

Despite the fact that no one would look at him, Steve was done up to the nines anyway, his collar glittering with every turn of his head. It was a weighty reminder that he belonged to Tony. That should have been scary; it was exhilarating instead.

Tony sighed and drummed his fingers on Steve's hip. "Rhodey was supposed to come to this," he groaned. "I've been stood up."

Steve took that as permission to talk. "He probably got a better offer."

Tony snorted. "Wouldn't take much. These council meetings are always horribly dull." He raked appreciative eyes over Steve. "Scenery's nice."

"I have a question."

"Wow. I'm stunned."

"Shut up." Steve twisted a little closer and dropped his voice lower. "Why are you guys doing this during the day? Isn't that a little dangerous?" Steve eyed up the edge of the canopy-covered garden where the sun shone brightly. The city rumbled on around them, but the little park was a tiny, extravagant oasis in the middle, carefully shaded. 

"The danger's half the point." Tony sipped his glass of blood. "It's, like, a thing." He waved his hand and Steve raised an eyebrow, making it clear that wasn't an answer. "A reminder to the city that we don't just own the night. We own it all." He snapped his gaze to Steve's. "That we're not afraid of the sun."

"But are you afraid of the sun?" Steve whispered.

Tony grinned down at him, pressing their bodies close. "I'm not half as afraid of the sun as I am of you running that pretty mouth off in front of the wrong person."

Steve pouted and cocked a hip. "I can be society-appropriate."

"I'm sure it's _possible,"_ Tony drawled, "in theory."

Steve pinched him. "It'd help if they had any human food here," Steve muttered. His stomach growled. 

Tony pointed at a chair near the edge of the party. "Sit. Look delectable. I'll find you something."

"I'm fine. It's -"

"Sit…" 

Heat tingled deep in Steve's core at Tony's firm command. Steve sat and Tony disappeared through the crowd. Steve suspected that Tony had half ditched him to find food and half so he could make nice with whatever vampire royalty he was obligated to schmooze with without Steve embarrassing him.

Not expecting Tony to return any time soon, Steve dragged his eyes over the party, looking for something to entertain him. Nothing caught his attention, so he looked out across the street instead. The party was contained, but here at the edge, he could see the hustle and bustle of the city outside it. Steve leaned back in his chair, feeling the sun on his skin. 

He looked up and down the edges of the party. A little further down, there was another human pet that had been parked by her vampire while he did something else. She was standing right on the edge of the party, fiddling with her bracelet. Her collar was simple as were her clothes and Steve suspected she was either owned by one of the lesser lines of vampire families, or she was a third or fourth in hand-me-downs. 

As Steve watched, she slipped one foot out of her shoe and stepped back into the sun-warmed grass, digging her toes in. Steve smiled. He understood the appeal. Living in a skyscraper didn't give him many opportunities to feel grass under his feet. 

Tony's name drew Steve's attention back to the party, but he couldn't find who'd said it and there was no sign of Tony himself. He sought out the barefoot girl again, but she was gone. Steve sighed. His only entertainment was gone -

But that was her shoe.

Her shoe was still sitting on the carpet on the edge of the canopy's shadow. Steve sat up taller and looked around, trying to get eyes on her. The party bustled on, the vampires staying several feet away from the edge of the canopy and no one seemed to notice she was missing. Steve stood and looked out into the city. 

A rustle of movement caught his eye. There was a low stone wall at the edge of the park, ending at an alley that was flanked by two tall buildings. There were four shifters and the missing human girl gathered by the wall. One of the shifters had her hand over the girl's mouth. Her eyes were wide and terrified. 

"Hey!" Steve darted out from under the canopy and ran across the lawn, his slippers sliding in the grass.

The group of shifters looked up in surprise as Steve flew into their midst, fists flying. He collided with the one holding the human's neck and he dropped her in his shock. The human took off immediately, running at full speed for the canopy. 

Steve rolled over to find himself in a circle of four angry shifters, all glaring down at him. 

"You cost us a pretty penny, bloodbag," one of them hissed.

"Well, we'll just sell this one instead," another said. 

Firm fingers gripped Steve by the hair and dragged him up to his feet. "You're going to regret that," Steve gasped out.

"Oh yeah? Doubt that." The shifter leaned in close to whisper in his ear. "No one would miss a scrap of garbage like you."

One second, Steve was dangling from the shifter's grip and the next, he was back on the ground. There was a ripping, grinding noise, a blur, and then everything stopped again. Three of the shifters were on the ground, unconscious and groaning, and the third - the one who had pulled Steve's hair - was hanging from Tony's fist.

It had been a long time since Steve had found Tony frightening - maybe he never really had - but in that moment, he was the most terrifying thing Steve had ever seen. He radiated rage, pale knuckles whiter with how hard he gripped the shifter's throat, eyes golden and flashing, lips curled up in a snarl to reveal glistening, thirsty fangs. 

And he was completely exposed, standing in the sun.

"Tony!" Steve shouted. "Go!" He jerked up to his feet, but Tony's skin was already blistering everywhere the sun touched it. 

Tony squeezed then released and the shifter fell in a crumpled mess - dead or unconscious, Steve didn't really care. Steve slammed into Tony's side, grabbing handfuls of his clothing and trying to drag him out of the sun.

Tony spun and caught him around the waist. "You okay?" he gasped.

"Tony, _move!"_

Tony stumbled after him, but Steve could see the damage blooming in front of his eyes. He looked like he was on fire, burning. Steve finally got Tony tugged deep enough into the alley that they were out of the sun's glare, but the vampire tripped down to his knees, taking Steve down with him. 

"Tony… what do I do? What do you need?"

"I'm fine…" Tony squeezed his eyes shut, clearly in agony. They were out of the sun but the blistering burning hadn't stopped. 

"You're not fine." Steve felt tears springing into his eyes. "You did this for me… you're hurting."

Tony's hand came up to brush along Steve's cheek. "I just - blood… back at the car. I have a bag…"

"There's no time for that." Steve reached around to the back of the collar and pressed the release. "You need blood? Take mine."

Tony shook his head. "No… won't hurt you."

"Tony please."

"I can't." Tony shoved ineffectually at Steve, his strength terrifyingly sapped.

Steve tossed the collar aside and hooked his hand around the back of Tony's neck. "You can." He pulled him in.

Steve guided Tony's face to his neck, pressing him there, waiting. For a moment, Tony did nothing and Steve worried that he was too hurt, too far gone, past saving, but then Tony sucked in a deep lungful of Steve's neck and a flash later, he sunk his fangs deep into Steve's skin.

"Ah!" Steve cried out, tears spilling over his cheeks. His head spun as Tony took a deep pull of his blood. A rush of endorphins so heady it twisted into arousal flooded Steve's brain. He moaned and sunk into Tony's strengthening hold. 

God… it was incredible.

Everything went black.

**

Tony ripped himself away from the sweet blood that was flowing into his mouth. He shoved backwards, panting pointlessly. Steve slumped over, limp in his arms. "No, no, no. Steve." Tony lifted him up - a tiny scrap of nothing to his strength - and cupped the back of his head. He was too pale, too still, too quiet. "Steve!" 

Tony pressed his ear to Steve's chest but the heartbeat was shallow and inconsistent. God, no. Not Steve. This was what he'd been afraid of. He'd killed him. "You _idiot,"_ he snapped out on a half-sob. "I told you not to." He scooped Steve up, arms under his knees and back, and braced his feet on the pavement, taking a steadying moment before he blasted off at full speed. 

He was in the subway tunnel in seconds, running full speed towards the nearest hospital. It was only a few blocks away but it felt like hours before Tony's feet crossed the threshold. There were two shifter nurses behind the desk. Tony skidded to a halt. "Save him."

"This isn't a human hospital," one of them said, lip curling up. "Shouldn't you take him to the vet around the corner?"

The other laughed. 

Tony bared his teeth then snapped across the desk. He grabbed the nurse by his face and pinned him to the far wall. He leaned in close, eyes flashing. "Save his life," he growled, "or lose yours."

"Okay!" The other nurse gasped. "Okay." She paged a doctor. 

The wait was intolerable. They had Steve hooked up to all kinds of tubes and lines and cables but his heartbeat still wasn't strong enough and he hadn't opened his eyes. Every time one of the staff touched him, a low growl rumbled out of Tony's chest, but he kept his hands on his chair, plastic twisting and snapping under his grip, and let the doctors do their job.

The longer he was there, the more Tony could sense that he was in a shifter hospital and he wasn't welcome. The heavy scent weighed down on him from all sides, darting eyes flicking into the room as they walked by. He hovered over Steve, on high alert, ready to attack, ready to tear and claw and maul, should anyone decide to do more than stare. 

Then Steve's eyes fluttered open and his heartbeat picked up - just a little, but it was enough. 

"Steve?"

"T...ny…" Steve smacked dry lips together, eyes unfocused as they drifted open and closed. 

Tony reached out and stroked his thumb across Steve's cheek. "You're okay, sweetheart."

Steve's eyes fluttered shut again. 

By the next morning, Steve still wasn't exactly with it, but the doctors proclaimed him well enough to go home. Tony wanted him out of the shifter hospital as soon as possible so it wasn't a hard decision to make, to pack him up and carry him out to the car. Tony lay him across the seat, Steve's head in his lap, and thought about the first time they'd been in this car together. Steve had been naked and scared and curled up against the far door. Now, Tony couldn't bear to not be touching him, couldn't stand the thought of fear souring his scent. 

Steve mumbled and shifted in his sleep and Tony bent down to kiss his forehead. "Sleep."

**

Steve woke up aching everywhere. Somehow, he was in his own bed. He tried to move, but couldn't. "Muh," was all his dry, heavy tongue could handle.

"Steve?" The weight pinning him to the bed disappeared, and Tony's beautiful face swam into view. 

"You're okay," Steve husked out. 

Tony growled, low and deep and rumbling, and Steve could feel it vibrate through the bed frame. "Ex _cuse me?_ I'm okay? You idiot. You absolute idiot. I could have killed you."

Steve smiled, his lips cracking. "Worth it."

"It _wasn't_ worth it," Tony snapped back. "Your life is never worth it."

"Tony…"

Tony leaned forward until his forehead pressed against Steve's. "I never want to hear your heart stop beating again. Seeing you like that was the scariest thing I've seen in two hundred years."

Steve lifted a hand to either side of Tony's face. "You biting me was the most amazing thing I've experienced in twenty-two years."

"You're _mine."_

"I've never said I wasn't," Steve shot back. 

"I'm in love with you."

"Well, I should think so." Steve pulled Tony down into a kiss, gentler than he wanted but rougher than he could take. When Tony's tongue brushed along his lower lip, Steve broke into coughing, whimpering when Tony pulled away.

But Tony returned with a glass of water and a straw, and he helped Steve sip his way through it slowly. "I'll get you something to eat," he said. Tony squeezed Steve's hand once, gently, then rose up off the bed.

"Tony?"

Tony paused in the doorway, looking back at Steve, head tilted in question.

"You know I love you too, right?"

Tony's grin was dazzling. "I know."

_Six months later..._

"Hey, baby…" The purr by the doorway, immediately had Tony's entire body lighting up with want. He rumbled low in his chest and spun his chair around, stopping it with one foot so he faced the door. Faced Steve. He opened his arms and Steve was across the room in a heartbeat - fast for a human. He piled into Tony's lap latching onto his mouth. 

"Mmm, Steve. You're back." Tony licked and nipped, careful to keep his fangs out of the way so he didn't draw blood accidentally. He could smell the blood though, so close under the surface, sweet and heady. When he couldn't take it anymore, Tony broke the kiss to shove his nose up under Steve's ear and breath in deeply. "I missed you."

"Two days is not an eternity, Tony." Steve teased, writhing a little in his lap. 

Tony let one of his hands slide down the back of Steve's pants to palm his ass. "It was an eternity to me. Shut up, you don't know eternity. Kiss me, Lunchables."

"Make me, Count Chocula."

Tony growled and hauled Steve closer, jerking him down into another needy kiss, one hand in his hair. Steve was hot and squirming and alive in his lap and it was almost too much to resist. "I need to taste you," Tony murmured against Steve's lips.

"I thought you'd never ask."

Steve was still wearing his collar, but Tony wasted no time stripping him out of everything else. Naked save for the gold chains that circled his throat, Steve stood in front of Tony, eyes blown dark with lust, lidded and sultry, pink lips parted. His heart thudded, pounding hot, sweet blood through him. 

Tony lifted Steve up and stood, dropping Steve to his back on the desk and folding over him. He kissed his way down Steve's body, licking along the edge of the collar, over his nipple, his ribs. He tasted like honey, desire in every drop of sweat and the goosebumps that lifted up under Tony's touch. 

But nothing was sweeter than his blood. Tony spread Steve's legs, grinning at the gentle _thunk_ of Steve's head hitting the desk, curled through with a soft moan. Tony licked up the inside of Steve's thigh, one hand gripping his ankle, the other pinning his hip to the desk. He smelled out the perfect spot where Steve's blood rushed under his skin and sunk his teeth in. 

"Ah! _Tony,"_ Steve moaned. "Oh god…."

Tony sucked once then lifted his head, watching Steve's cock throb precome from the tip, twitching against his stomach. A line of blood dripped down, sharp red over Steve's pale, white skin. Tony licked it up, reveling in the shudders that wracked Steve's frame. He worked his way up, pinching with his teeth but not breaking the skin. At Steve's side, just below the jut of his ribs, Tony reached up and wound his fingers through the chains at the back of the collar. He squeezed and Steve's head tilted back, mouth falling open.

Tony squeezed tighter until Steve's breath only came in tiny half-gasps. He bent over him. Steve's heart was beating so loudly Tony could feel it in his own chest. Every thud made his mouth water more. "You're so delicious," he murmured, and Steve moaned, feet curling up then relaxing. Tony let the collar go and Steve sucked in a sharp breath, chest expanding. Tony bent down and sunk his fangs into his belly.

"Oh _fuck!"_

Tony sucked once then sealed the wound with his tongue. He crawled up until he covered Steve completely. He was high on the small taste of blood he'd had, rough and hard and panting for more. "Take it off," he husked.

Steve's hands went to the back of his neck. He pressed the release, eyes fixed on Tony's the whole time, and the cage of golden chains slipped down to his chest, baring his throat. "Take _me."_

Tony growled and lurched forward, unable to resist the smooth column of Steve's neck, blood pumping hot inside it. As he buried his face in Steve's neck, Steve's hands fumbled for his zipper. Steve freed his cock as Tony's fangs plunged into Steve's neck, hot blood welling up immediately and coating his tongue. Steve used his legs wrapped around Tony's waist to draw him in, guiding his cock to his hole. 

"Fuck me," he moaned, tugging at Tony. He was slick already, which meant he'd taken a minute between arriving back at the tower and coming to see Tony to prepare himself for what he knew they were both going to want. 

Tony swallowed a mouthful of sweet blood and thrust forward, the head of his cock catching on Steve's rim. He swallowed again as he pushed into Steve's heat and they moaned in unison. A trickle of blood leaked free of his lips and he lapped at it, catching the droplet on his tongue. Tony's hips started to piston as he thrust in and out of Steve's needy hole. Bloodheat rushed through him, flushing his skin and making him throb from head to toe. The double pleasure ramped up until it took over and Tony lost all control of his body. He thrust wildly into Steve, digging his fangs deeper and drinking in great gulps. 

Steve writhed under him, hips jerking up to meet Tony's punishing thrusts. _"Tony, Tony, Tony,"_ he whined, body taut and tense under him. 

Tony pinned Steve down with his body, one hand skating up Steve's side to wrap around his jaw, pulling his head to the side to stretch the tendons of his neck taut under the grip of his bite. Steve keened and tensed, fingers scrabbling on Tony's back. Tony sucked in one more time as Steve came, his body clenching around Tony's cock, blood spilling into his mouth, and the tight heat and taste of him pushed Tony over the edge too. He came with a growl, filling Steve with his come. 

"Oh…" Steve sighed. "Tony."

Tony withdrew his fangs and licked and lapped at Steve's neck, staunching the blood flow. He rolled his tongue around in his mouth, cleaning up the last tastes of Steve. "Phenomenal."

Steve slumped boneless on the desktop. "Tony."

"Yes, sweetheart?"

"Wow."

Tony grinned. He bent and kissed the end of Steve's nose. "Welcome home."

"I missed you so much."

Tony gathered Steve into his arms and sat back heavily in his chair, pulling Steve into his lap. Steve went soft and lax in only a few minutes, his breath evening out as he drifted off to sleep. Tony counted the beats of his heart. 

**

Steve woke and squirmed in Tony's arms, tipping his head to the side and offering up his neck again. Tony was always so careful not to take too much, but when he was shivering through the aftershocks, Steve always wanted to give more, feel connected like that again. He whined.

Tony licked a stripe from his shoulder up the side of his neck. He bit down, not hard enough to break the skin, but hard enough to hurt, and Steve gasped. "Take it," Steve groaned, and Tony finally let his fangs sink in.

The pull of blood out of his veins always made Steve feel like he was flying - the same feeling as the elevator but dialled up to eleven. Steve's knees rose up to lock around Tony, wanting to keep them tied together as long as possible, but Tony didn't take much before he pulled back a little and started licking the wound closed. 

When he was done, he scooped Steve up in his arms and carried him out of the workshop. Steve wrapped his arms around Tony's shoulders and burrowed into his neck, breathing him in, the cool, smooth skin comforting on his sweaty, overheated face. The lights turned off behind them as they made their way down the hall, up the stairs, and into their bedroom. 

Tony climbed into bed and snuggled backward against a mountain of pillows, keeping Steve curled up safely and comfortably on his chest. His fingers petted along Steve's hairline. "Thank you," he murmured.

Steve smiled and pressed a kiss to Tony's shoulder. "You always thank me."

"Because I'm perpetually, deeply grateful for you."

"I'm perpetually, deeply in love with you," Steve shot back.

Tony clutched him closer. How impossible it would have seemed six months ago that the safest place he could be was wrapped in this vampire's arms, and how impossible it was now that anywhere else could ever be safer. 

"You came back," Tony murmured, seemingly more to himself than to Steve. 

The hint of surprise in his voice had Steve pushing to half-sit up. "Did you think there was any chance I wouldn't?"

Tony lifted one shoulder then let it fall. "If you love something, let it go, right?"

Steve frowned. "Tony… If I'd known you had any doubt, I wouldn't have gone."

"You needed to try and find your friend. It's okay. Now I know. And you know I'll let you go."

Steve pressed his palm to Tony's cheek then drew the pad of his thumb over Tony's bottom lip. His eyes were bright and glowing with a good feed. He looked healthy and happy and full and that made Steve's heart swell - that he could provide that for him, and so easily, too. Tony's lips parted and Steve traced the point of one fang, careful not to draw blood. "I trust you."

"Well in that case…" Tony bundled him up in his arms again, lips pressed to his ear. "I'm going to be selfish for a moment and beg you to stay with me. Didn't think it was possible to miss someone that much."

"I'll stay, Tony." Steve kissed the curve of Tony's arm. "And if I can't stay, I'll come back. Always."


End file.
